Organiser of the May Design Series, UBM denies kbb shows will be diluted

Organiser of kbbBirmingham, UBM has countered claims of possible kitchen and bathroom show dilution, following the announcement the May Design Series will be an annual event.

Brand director Andrew Vaughan explained the decision to launch the May Design Series as an annual event: “The reasons behind launching the May Design Series in the first place was that the A&D and specification community told us they needed an annual event in London that offered mid-to high-end, well-edited and broad design content.

“Suppliers also need an event that delivers real commercial return on their investment. May Design Series answers these needs and kitchens and bathrooms are a crucial part of its design offering.”

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He stated the shows are differentiated not only by the price level of the market they serve but also the audience they expect to attract to each event.

Andrew Vaughan commented: “May Design Series is about the mid to high-end products, whether it’s bathroom, furniture or lighting, whereas kbbBirmingham is the representation of an entire sector from volume up to the high-end.

“But the most important point of differentiation is audience; May Design Series is a London show for interior designers, architects, property developers and specifiers… kbbBirmingham is a national event for retailers, installers, wholesalers and kbb specialists.”

Vaughan believes the two events will offer exhibitors a choice of target markets, as he stated: “Some companies will not be interested in specification and the London design world; they’ll purely focus on retailers and the kbb community. For other suppliers, it’ll be a case of vice versa. Then there are those suppliers that have both markets as their target. UBM has different events to help all three categories of supplier.”

He said the crossover between exhibitors in the two shows “will remain to be seen” but was adamant it does not signal the end of one ‘all inclusive show’. He retorted: “Absolutely not. kbbBirmingham remains the industry’s event, and we’ve also just launched an exciting London design show called the May Design Series!”